The Bottineau pioneer. (Bottineau, N.D.) 1885-1895, 1887-08-18
The INDEPENDENT FARMER.

g%&&AB -
-
The rndenendence OF . Farmer Does
Not Necessarily Depend on Very
Large Means.
The occupation Of farming is praise0
BY many because it enables those en-
gagged In it to be to a great extent lndo'
pendent. The FARMER certainly can
direct his own affairs, as there % nc
association or union to tell him Wnen
he shall work or when he shall remain
idle. He is free to exercise his own
judgment in relation to how ne man
ages his place. what he shall raise, ing
how he shall dispose of it. He Is -
liberty to work eight o. eighteen hours
each day. HI is not liable to be. assess
ed for the support of persons engaged
in strikes for shorter hours or higneE
wages. He is never called upon to
gage in parades or to assist in making
demonstrations. He ear buy labor ID
the cheapest market, and is not obliged
to confer with any person except tnose
he employs about the time or metnoa
Of payment. He can have his work
performed by hand or by the use OF ma
chimes. He is lord of his own acres,
be they few or many. He1is not likely
to be injured by strikes of the class OF
men whom he employs in doing work.
In this respect he is in a nor lnde-
pendent position than manufacturers,
contractors, and railway managers.
T.; A farmer may be ~measurably inde-
pendent in the matter of obtaining sup
plies He may, if he has the mea
and is given sufficient time, raise near
ly everything he requires for supplying
his table. He can arrange for haviAK
beef. pork. mutton and 4 variety Ut
fowls, all of his own raising. He
should never go away from his farm to
obtain eggs, milk, butter, and cheese.
He should have: an abundance and q
great variety of vegetables and small
fruits in their. season. He should have
a pond where he a raise carp and
other fish for his table. With a good
cellar he will find no difficulty in keep
ing large fruits. potatoes, garden vege-
tables. and many other articles of food
owe the winter. If he has an ice
house. he car keep fresh meat, fowls,
fish, perishable fruits and cooked food
in it for several days. BY keeping
bees a substitute for sirup can be OBJ
tanned without cost. With a few acres
in forest trees a supply of fuel will be
provided. But little skill is required
to dry, can. and preserve fruits, SO that
the table may be supplied with them
from the close of one bearing season
to the commencement of another.
A farmer who has arranged for pro-
ducing nearly everything for supplying
his table. who has on his place wood
for. fuel and timber for fence. posts,
comes about rs near being independent
as a man can be- He has little to paw
and as a consequence does not need
have very much to sell. A horse that
can be raised on the place will sell for
enough to buy a good carriage and
harness. The few grocery bills can be
paid with eggs and butter. The in
crease of stock beyond the number of
animals that "a be kept on the pls1--
will sell for enough to pay taxes and
tor clothing, furniture, , and tools. An
farmer who is in condition to do all
these things may not be very wealthy,
but he will be provided with all. the
necessities for comfort. He will also
have many of the things that are gen.
orally classed among the Injuries. He
can have leisure and the means for EN-
joying it. He will have no anxiety
about keeping his house warm if there
is a scarcity of coal and the roads are
drifted high with snow,~ with no way of
getting to town to obtain groceries and
provisions, he will find that his table
is spread not. only with nourishing
food, but with that which tempts and
delights the appetite.~~~ a~s 1850
Although it appears to be easy to be-
come an independent farmer. compar-
atively few who own and occupy farms
can be, regarded as such. The farmer
who has a mortgage on his place is
far from being independent. His earn
ings are pledged till such time as his
secured debt is paid in full. There is q
cloud on his title, and another one on.
hisshopcs. " He is constantly anxious in.
! relation to how. he is to raise money to
meet his indebtedness. The farmer
whose name is attached to several
chattel mortgages, who has outstand-
lngInotes, store debts, and miscellane-
GUS obligations is dependent on the
mercy Of his creditors. They will OK
pect him to sell meat that he raises as
soon as it is in a condition to send to
market whether prices are high or
Low. The farmer who is obliged to
sell nearly all 1.-THE products of his place
in order to'furnish fuel and provisions
is almost as far from a state of inde-
pendence as the day laborer in q large
city who is obliged to buy everything
he eats and burns. The farmer who
first seeks and finds a position. Of indie
pendence will obtain what wealth com-
bined with anxiety can not procure
Chicago Times.